My Hero, the Homeless Chaser

Last night our schedule called for 5x3:00 minute hill repeats. I was a little apprehensive because it would be the first time in a long time I would be doing speed work. I had to ask around to find a hill because we don't usually do hill repeats in the city and "Pennsylvania Avenue" kept coming up in conversations. We drove out to the hill, which is situated right off the river parkway (a bike path that stretches for 32 miles along side the river). After 15 minutes of warm up we got to work.

Oof! It became clear that I need to incorporate more of these into my training plan. I'm slow and was working harder than I would have liked for the pace. I also need to retrain my brain. Right now in ultras Kynan and I walk/hike the uphills to conserve energy and we didn't really loose much time. But the plan for summer is to get faster so we need to get faster on the hills and that will require me to retrain my brain. Right now my immediate thought is to hike the hills to conserve energy and I found that I needed to keep telling myself that I don't need to conserve energy this is speed work. I need to red line for 60 minutes.

Repeat after repeat I would huff and puff my way up until I heard Kynan yell "That's three minutes!", cruise on down to the bottom, grab a sip of water from my bottle, and do it again. Making our way back down the hill after the fourth repeat I noticed a transient going up the hill on a bike with a basket behind him. We watched him and nodded as we passed by. Most of the homeless are harmless, but we keep an eye out just in case there is funny business.

As we reach the bottom I did't see our water bottles or Kynan's hat. "Odd. Maybe the bottles were farther back than I thought." I tell Kynan. We keep going, still no water bottles. "Dang it! Someone stole our water!" I can't believe someone would steal a water bottle, what could be so appealing?

As we started out last repeat it dawned on me, "I bet it was that guy who we passed coming down the hill! He had a basket behind his bike!" "Ah man, you are probably right." Kynan says. Without even thinking I blurt out, "Go get him baby!" Kynan takes off like a shot. I don't even bother to try to keep up with him as he turns the corner. I am just waiting to hear something, anything as I climb the hill.The guy was over half way up the hill when we started, but I knew Kynan would catch him. "What was I thinking? That guy is probably crazy." The thoughts were swirling around my head and yet I still heard nothing.

I round the last bend and see Kynan has reached the top and was heading back down and past the guy on his bike. He looks right at me, not so much as aknowldging the guy parked 15 feet from the crest of the hill. That's when I notice he is carrying two familiar looking water bottles and a hat. He reaches me and we start heading back down the hill and I can't help but laugh. "What the heck happened?" It turns out Kynan caught up with him and the following conversation took place:

Kynan: Hey, did you see some water bottles and a hat at the bottom of the hill"

Homeess Guy: I sure did.

Kynan: Well, do you know what happened to them?

Homeless Guy: I sure do.

Kynan looks into his basket and retrieves our stuff.

Homeless Guy: They were cool looking man!

Kynan: I know, that's why I bought them!

Kynan then proceeds to finish his last hill repeat, heads back down (looking very triumphant) and happily informs me that was his fastest repeat while we finish our cool down back to the car. I couldn't keep from laughing the whole way. I couldn't believe what just transpired, yet it happened.

Our stuff is currently sitting in an iodine solution and will be run through the washer a few times until I am satisfied. It just goes to show you that running can be applicable in everyday life.

Haha you guys need to invest in some less cool-looking water bottles if you're going to leave them unattended on Pennsylvania Avenue, apparently. Glad Kynan still had enough gas in the tank to chase him down and get them back!

With the homeless "takers" I see at work, you could get rid of nuclear waste just by putting it in a shiny box. The fact that he gave it right back shows that he meant no harm. Laws of the streets, that's how they roll.

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